Conveyer



F. w. DouTHn-'r 2,288,125

GONVEYER l Filed June 19, 1940 s sheets-sheet 1 June 30, 1942.

June 30, 1942' F. w. DouTHn'T CONVEYER Filed June 19, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 22mm?. m

June 3o, 1942. F, w, DOUTHWT 2,288,125

CONVEYER Filed June 19, 1940 3 Sheet'S-Sheei 3 Patented .inne 30, 1942 perreo stares cargar ortica 7 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in polishing and buing machines, and more particularly, to such a machine of the type for polishing and bung the ends of metal cans containing foods and ingredients of foods.

It is the general practice in canning foods to press in one end of each can code characters by which the contents in the can may be identiiied, and the cans are then placed in unsealed cartons and stored in a warehouse. At the time the canned goods is to be shipped to a wholesaler or other agent, the cans are removed from the cartons and run through a machine which applies labels thereto, and then repacked in the cartons and said cartons sealed.

During the time the canned goods remain in a Warehouse, the metal cans, due to climatic conditions, often rust, tarnish or become dull and hence have an old look. The labels, of course, cover the cylindrical portions of the cans, leaving the ends of the cans exposed. It is, of course, understood, that as a general rule, only a relatively small number of cans in a carton, and sometimes not any, need to be polished and buffed.

It is an object of this invention to provide a can-polishing and bung machine that may be used in connection with a label-applying machine whereby, as cans are removed from a carton, they may be placed, if the ends thereof end of the machine into which they are fed thereto to facilitate the handling thereof.

A still further ohjectof the invention is to convey the cans in the machine to the polishing means at a slower speed than the speed at which the cans move while being polished and thereby prevent jamming of the cans and resultant denting thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine in which standard and Well-known types of polishing and buiflng wheels may be used.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and dened in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a right side elevation of the improved machine and also fragmentarily showing a labeling machine and a conveyer on which is an open carton of canned goods;

Fig. 2 is a view principally in longitudinal vertical section;

Figs. 3 to 6', inclusive, are views partly inelevation and partly in transverse vertical section taken substantially on the lines 3--3, li, 5 5 and 6-5 of Fig. 1, respectively;

, Fig. '7 is a fragmentary plan view of the machine at its polishing units;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan View 0f the rear end portion of the improved machine;

Fig. 9 is a view partly in plan and partly in horizontal longitudinal section taken on the line 9 9 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 10 is a detail View partly in elevation and partly in transverse vertical section taken on thev line l-Hl of Fig. 1;

Figs. l1 and 12 are detail views partly in elevation and partly in transverse Vertical section faken substantially on the lines l i-H and iiii2 of Fig. 1, respectively; and

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary detail view principally in section taken on the line 'I3-i3 of Fig. 6, on an enlarged scale.

The main frame of the machine includes a pair of leg brackets I4 connected at their upper ends by a pair of side angle bars l5, the horizontal flanges of which extend toward each other and the vertical flanges of which extend downwardly. 'At the frontV of the machine, the side bars i5 extend outwardly thereof to aord supports i8. The leg brackets i4 are further rigidly andintermediatelyconnected by side bars Il and end bars i8. On the rear leg bracket I4 is a motor .base or platform I3. Front, rear and intermediate transverse cross-tie bars 20, 2| and 22, respectively, are rigidly secured at their ends to the side bars l5.

A lower track, which extends longitudinally of themain frame at the transverse center thereof, comprises a pair of rails 23 in the form of angle bars, the vertical flanges of which extend upwardly and the horizontal flanges of which extend toward each other and are spaced apart. Each rail 23 rests on and is rigidly secured to a channel bar 24, the flanges of which extend horizontally inwardly. The rails 23 and their supporting bars 24 are each independently supported at their ends by a pair of posts 25. These posts 25, at their upper ends, are rigidly secured by bearing heads 26 to the webs of the channel bars 24 at the outer faces thereof. Said posts 25, at their lower end portions, extend through bearings 21 and are adjustably` and rigidly secured thereto by set-screws 28. The front and rear pairs of bearings 21 are rigidly secured to the cross-tie bars and 2 I, respectively, by nutequipped bolts 29 which extend through slots 36 in said bars.

An upper track overlying the lower track comprises a pair of rails 3|, each of which is an angle bar. The flanges of the rails 3| are in the same relations as the rails 23, but, by reference to Fig. 4, it will be noted that the horizontal flanges of the rails 3| are much wider than the corresponding anges of the rails 23.

The rails 3| rest on tie-bars 32 and are secured thereto for adjustment toward or from each other by nut-equipped bolts 33 anchored to the horizontal flanges of said rails and extend through slots 34 in said tie-bars. Each tie-bar 32 rests, at its end portions, on the upper ends of a pair of posts 35 anchored to the side bars I5.

A pair of flat bars 36 are held suspended over the flanges of the rails in the planes of their vertical flanges by metal hanger straps 31. The upper end portions of hanger straps 31 extend laterally outwardly and bear against the tie-bars 32 on the under sides thereof and are secured thereto by the bolts 33. The bars 36 are secured to the hanger straps 31, at their lower end portions, by nut-equipped bolts 33 which extend through Vertical slots 39 in said hanger straps. Said bars 36 are reinforced at their upper edges by narrow outturned flanges.

An endless conveyer belt 46 runs over an idle pulley 4| and a driven pulley 42. The idle pulley 4| is secured to a horizontal transverse shaft 43 ,iournaled in bearings 44 secured to hanger brackets 45 which, in turn, are secured to and held suspended from the track rails 3| at their front end portions. The driven pulley 42 is fixed to a horizontal transverse shaft 46 journaled in bearings 41 secured to a pair of side plates 48 which, in turn, are secured to the rear end portions of the track rails 3|. The pulleys 4| and 42 are arranged so that the upper run of the conveyer belt 46 is supported on the horizontal flanges of the track rails 3| and said flanges are cut away, at the end portions of said track rails, to permit the conveyer belt 46 to move upwardly onto said flanges at the idle pulley 4| and to move downwardly from said flanges at the driven pulley 42.

The pulley 42 is driven from an electric motor 49 on the motor base I9 by the following driving connections, to wit: a twisted belt 56 runs over a relatively small pulley 5| on the armature shaft 52 of the motor 49 and a relatively large pulley 53 on a shaft 54 journaled in bearings 55 secured to the side bars I1, a belt 56 runs over a relatively small pulley 51 on the shaft 54 and a relatively lalge pulley 58 on a shaft 59 `iournaled in bearings 66 secured to the side bars |1, and a twisted belt 6| runs over a relatively small pulley 62 on the shaft 59 and a relatively large pulley 63 on the shaft 46 of the driven pulley 42.

The conveyer belt 40 is held under the desired tension by the bearings 44 and 41 which are movable toward or from each other and held bearings 65 on the hanger brackets 45 and the side plates 48. The lower run of the conveyer belt 46 overlies the horizontal flanges of the track rails 23 and extends between the bars 36.

A friction strap 66 overlies the upper run of the conveyer belt 46, extends circumferentially around said belt where the same passes over the driven pulley 42, and underlies the said belt between the pulley 42 and the rear ends of the track rails 23. The front end of the friction strap 66 is anchored to a transverse rod 61 secured in upstanding bearings 68 on the upper edges of the hanger brackets 45. Said friction strap 66 is adjustably secured to the rear ends of the channel bars 24 by a clamping bar 69. The friction strap 66, where the same passes circumferentially around the driven pulley 42, is supported at circumferentially spaced points with freedom for limited radial movement relative to the axis of said pulley by a plurality of transverse bars 19. These bars 16 extend transversely over the friction strap 66, are secured thereto, and the end portions thereof extend through radial notches 1| in the perimeter of the side plates 48 and normally rest on the bottoms of said notches.

where adjusted by long screws 64, journaled in A floating directional weight 12 for the strap 66 in the form of a roll is xed to and between the free end portions of a pair of arms 13 turnably secured to the rod 61 for vertical swinging movement. This floating weight 12 rests on the strap 66 and yieldingly holds the same pressed toward the belt 46.

An inclined deck 14 is secured at its lower end to the hanger brackets 45 and is supported at its rear end portion from the side bar extensions I6 by a bail-like rod 15. This deck 14 has side flanges 16, and at its lower end extends between the vertical flanges of the track rails 3| and is arranged to deliver cans, as will presently appear, onto the upper run of the conveyer belt 46 forwardly of the floating weight 12.

A pair of polishing and buing units are provided for simultaneously polishing and bufng both ends of a can passing therebetween. Each polishing and bufling unit comprises a multiplicity of wire wheels 11, as shown, mounted on a shaft 18 journaled in bearings 19 secured to the tie-bars 2| and 22. These wheels 11 are held axially spaced apart by collars 86 on said shaft and are held clamped between a pair of discs 8| for common rotation with the shaft 13. The front disc 8| engages a shoulder 82 on the shaft 18, as a base of resistance, and the rear disc 8| is adjustable toward or from the front disc 8| by a nut 83 which has screw-threaded engagement with the shaft 18. The bearings 19 are rigidly held for adjustment to move the polishing and bufling units radially toward or from each other by nut-equipped bolts 84 which extend through elongated slots 85 in plates 86 anchored to the tie-bars 2| and 22. See Fig. 5. Each shaft 18 is rotated in the direction of the arrows on Fig. 5 by a twisted belt 81 which runs over a relatively large pulley 83 on the shaft 54 and a relatively small pulley 69 on the front end of the shaft 18.

A plurality of oating weights 99, in the form of rolls, rest on the lower run of the conveyer belt 40 and yieldingly hold the same pressed toward the track rails 23. These oating weights 96 are provided with trunnions 9| which extend through vertical slots 92 in the bars 36. The section of the conveyer belt 40 controlled by the floating weights 96 extends from one end of the polishing and bufling units to the other. See Fig.

2. The vertical anges of the track rails 23, at the polishing and buing units, are cut away at 93 to aord clearance for the wire wheel 11 while it is acting on the ends of the cans.

In Fig. 1 is fragmentarily shown the track 94 of a label-applying machine and the overlying belt 95 which runs over a large pulley 96 for conveying cans on said track to the label-applying mechanism, not shown. An inclined runway 91 comprising a pair of angle bars, leads from the front ends of the track rails 23 to the track 94 of the labeling machine.

Extending transversely under the runway 91 is a conveyer 98 comprising a multiplicity of loose rolls 99, and it may be assumed that this conveyer leads from a warehouse or other storage room.

Resting on the conveyer 98 is an open carton |00, shown with some parts broken away, and containing cans a: to which labels are to be applied and the ends of said cans polished and buied, if necessary.

The cans in the process of moving through the polishing and bumng machine and to the 1abeling machine are designated by the letter 2.

Operation The operation of the improved polishing and buiing machine may be briefly described as follows:

It may be assumed that unsealed cartons |09 containing unlabeled cans :c are being moved on the conveyer 93 to the polishing and buing machine and the label-applying machine. It may also be assumed that an attendant is standing on each side of the runway 91. It is the duty of the attendants to remove the cans :r from the cartons |09 and place the same on the runway 91 where they will roll onto the track 94 and under the conveyer belt 95 and be moved thereby to the label-applying mechanism. It will be understood that after labels are applied to the cans, said cans are again packed in cartons and said cartons sealed and placed in a car, truck or other conveyance.

It is also the duty of the attendants to inspect the ends of the cans as they are removed from the cartons and also as they are placed on the runway 91. In case one or both of the ends of a can needs to be polished or buifed to remove rust or dullness, the can is placed on the deck 14, or if it has been placed on the runway 91, it is removed therefrom and placed on said deck.

From the deck 14, a can 2 will roll onto the conveyer belt 49 and into engagement with the overlying friction strap 66. It will be noted that the floating weight 12 normally holds said strap a distance from the belt 4 that is slightly less than the diameter of one of the cans 2 so that when a can 2 passes under said weight 12, it slightly raises the weight.

After a can 2 has been moved by the conveyer belt 40 beyond the weight 12, said weight pulls the friction strap tightly transversely across the top surface of said can. This friction strap BB i I the same from jamming as they are being moved upper run of the conveyer belt 49 is to prevent 75 from the upper run of the conveyer belt 40 to the lower track 23 and thereby denting one another.

Normally, the tension of the friction strap 66 holds the cross-bars 19 on the bottoms of the notches 1| and in this position of said bars, they hold the friction strap 66 a distance from the conveyer belt 40 that is slightly less than the diameter of one of the cans 2. As the cans 2 are moved circumferentially around the pulley 42 by the conveyer belt 40, they slightly bulge the friction strap 66 and this bulge in said strap frictionally holds a can 2 so that the same is gently lowered from the upper run of the conveyer belt 49 onto the horizontally disposed section of the friction strap 66 and under the lower run of the conveyer belt 4i). From the pulley 42, the upper run of the conveyer belt 4 first rolls the cans 2 on the friction strap 69 and from thence onto the track rails 23.

Further movement of the cans 2 on the track rails 23 carries the same endwise between the two polishing and bufing units. As the cans 2 are rolled on the track rails 23 by the lower run of the belt 40, the brushes 11 thoroughly scour and polish the ends of the cans 2. While the cans 2 are being rolled on the track rails 23 by the belt 4, the oating Weights tightly press said belt onto the cans 2 and hold said cans on the track rails 23 while they are being acted on by the wire wheels 11.

From the polishing and bufling units, the cans 2 are further rolled by the belt 49 on the track rails 23 until they pass from under the pulley 4l and from thence the cans 2 crowd each other to the end of said rails where they roll downwardly on the runway 91 to the label-applying machine.

From the above description, it is evident that after the cans 2 have been placed on the deck 14, they require no further attention and are returned to the same end of the machine at which they started and are delivered directly to the label-applying machine.

The flanges 16 on the deck 19, the anges on the track rails 23 and 3|, the side plates i8 and the flanges on the runway 91 prevent undue endwise movement of the cans 2 during their travel through the machine.

Obviously, the bolts 29 and the slots 3Q and the bolts 33 and the slots 34 permit the track rails 23 and the track rails 3l, respectively, to be adjusted toward or from each other to adapt the machine for cans of different length. The bolts 33 and the slots 34 also permit relatively lateral adjustment of the bars 36. The oating Weight 12 will automatically adjust the friction strap E8 for cans of different diameters and the posts 25 permit the track rails 23 to be raised or lowered relative to the lower run of the belt 40 to adapt the same to cans of different diameters.

As the wire Wheels 11 or other polishing and buiing devices wear away, the bearings 19 may be adjusted to properly position the same relative to th'e ends of a can. Said bearings 19 also permit the polishing and buffing devices to be adjusted for cans of diiTerent length.

From the above description, it is evident that no extra time or eifort on the part of an attendant is required to place a can either on the runway 91 for movement directly into a label-applying machine or on the deck 14 for movement through the polishing and bufng machine from which a can is mechanically delivered to the label-applying machine.

It is, of course, an extremely simple matter to remove the polishing and buifing wheel 11 when it is worn out and substitute new ones therefor.

What l claim is:

l. A machine of the kind described including an upper track and a lower track, a pair of horizontally disposed and radially spaced pulleys, one of which i-s driven, an endless belt arranged to run over the pulleys with its upper run on the upper track for conveying a can horizontally and transversely disposed thereon, the lower run of the belt being arranged to engage the upper surface of a can on the lower track and roll the same, a friction strap anchored at one end above the receiving end of the upper track, with its other end anchored at the receiving end of the lower track and with its intermediate portion extending substantially concentric with the belt while passing around one of the pulleys, and means normally holding the strap spaced at circumferential points about the belt while passing around the respective pulley a distance slightly less than the diameter of a can, whereby a can between the belt and the strap will place said strap under tension and thereby be frictionally held and lowered from the upper run of the belt to the lower track.

2. A machine of the kind described including an upper track and a lower track, a pair of horizontally disposed and radially spaced pulleys, one of which is driven, an endless belt arranged to run over the pulleys with its upper run on the upper track for conveying a can horizontally and transversely disposed thereon, the lower run of the belt being arranged to engage the upper surface of a can on the lower track and roll the same, a friction strap anchored at one end above the receiving end of the upper track, with its other end anchored at the receiving end of the lower track and with its intermediate portion extending substantially concentric with the belt while passing around one of the pulleys, means normally holding the strap spaced at circumferential points about the belt while passing around the respective pulley a distance slightly less than the diameter of a can, whereby a can between the belt and the strap will place said strap under tension and thereby be frictionally held and lowered from the upper run of the belt to the lower track, and a floating weight resting on the strap at its upper end portion and normally holding the engaged portion of the strap a distance from the upper run of the belt that is slightly less than the diameter of a can.

3. A machine of the kind described including an upper track and a lower track, a pair of horizontally disposed and radially spaced pulleys, one of which is driven, an endless belt arranged to run over the pulleys with its upper run on the upper track for conveying a can horizontally and transversely disposed thereon, the lower run of the belt being arranged to engage the upper surface of a can on the lower track and roll the same, a friction strap anchored at one end above the receiving end of the upper track, with tix its other end anchored at the receiving 'end of the lower track and with its intermediate portion extending substantially concentric with the belt while passing around one of the pulleys, and a plurality of transverse bars secured at their intermediate portions to the strap, a pair of laterally spaced members between which the strap extends and having circumferentially spaced seats into which the end portions of said bars extend with freedom for limited radial movement relative to the axis of the respective pulley, the tension of the strap normally holding said bars on the bottom of said seats, said bars when on the bottoms of said seats holding the respective portions of the strap a distance from the belt that is slightly less than the diameter of a can, whereby a can between said strap and belt will be frictionally held and lowered from the upper run of the belt onto the lower track.

4. A machine of the kind described including an upper track and a lower track, a pair of horizontally-disposed and radially spaced pulleys one of which is driven, an endless belt arranged to run over the pulleys with its upper run on the upper track for conveying a can horizontally and transversely disposed thereon, the lower run of the belt being arranged to 'engage the upper surface of a can on the lower track and roll the same, and a friction strap one end portion of which overlies the upper run of the belt and having its respective end anchored at the receiving end of the upper run of the belt, the other end portion of the friction strap underlies the lower run of the belt and having its respective end anchored at the receiving end of the lower track, the intermediate portion of the friction strap being substantially concentric with the belt while passing around one of the pulleys, and yielding means under strain to move the friction strap at the receiving end of the upper run of the belt toward the upper track.

5. The structure defined in claim 4 in which the section of the friction strap, between its anchored upper end and the yielding means, is upwardly inclined from said means, said structure further including means for successively delivering cans onto the upper run of the belt under said inclined section of the friction strap,

6. The structure defined in claim 4 further including a yielding weight resting on the friction strap relatively close to its anchored upper end and normally holding the underlying portion of the friction strap spaced from the upper run of the belt a distance less than the diameter of one of the can-s, whereby a can being moved by the beltl must lift the weight in order to pass thereunder.

7. The structure defined in claim 4 further including a plurality of transverse bars secured at their intermediate portions to the friction strap, a pair of laterally spaced members between which the friction strap extends and having circumferentially spaced open seats into which the end portions of the bars extend, and means for taking up slack in the friction strap to hold the bars in their seats.

FRANK W. DOUTHITT. 

